Book review: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

When she is not waitressing or preoccupied with her own amorous adventures, telepath Sookie Stackhouse is tracking down a serial killer of shapeshifters. Her sleuthing is partly altruistic, but she's also trying to save her were-panther brother, Jason, who has become the chief suspect in the crime.

Sookie's got just a month, before the next full moon, to find out who wants her brother dead - and to stop the fiend! Sookie Stackhouse enjoys her life, mostly. She's a great cocktail waitress in a fun bar; she has a love life, albeit a bit complicated, and most people have come to terms with her telepathy. The problem is, Sookie wants a quiet life - but things just seem to happen to her and her friends. Now her brother Jason's eyes are starting to change: he's about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. She can deal with that, but her normal sisterly concern turns to cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population. She afraid not just because Jason's at risk, but because his new were-brethren suspect Jason may be the shooter. Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks - unless the killer decides to find her first. 

WARNING: There might be spoilers if you haven't read the previous books yet.

Dead as a Doornail, the 5th installment of the Sookie Stackhouse Novels actually was the one that got me all hyped up. I've been repeating myself a lot while reviewing these books, and it's still true: I have a love and hate relationship with these series. Most of the hate derives from Sookie and her annoying, "I don't wanna brag, but I'm the shit" sort of narrative, and the love comes from most of the rest of the characters, really. 

Jason now shifting into a panther is a super-sexy twist, and I liked getting more into the world of the rest of the shifters. The suspense of someone attacking them was rather great as well, even though it was way too obvious who was doing it, and I was hoping I had guessed wrong. Still, everything leading up to finding out who it was made an enjoyable read, especially with the werewolf rituals we never got to see before.

Eric also finally found out what happened between him and Sookie when he was under the spell of the witches, and I'm hoping -and I KNOW- he'll be using that somehow in the upcoming books. That shall most definitely be exciting to see. Bill was kind of around, but then not so much, and I honestly have nothing to complain about when it comes to Bill's absence. I've always found him quite boring. 

And then there's Tara's situation... I felt that blew over pretty quickly, and it was way too rushed. Was it just to bring Bill and Eric into the same room with Sookie so she can remember sleeping with them both? If so, it was way too unnecessary. I wonder if anything more is gonna happen on her end.

Alcide was weird in this book, and I didn't like it. He wants Sookie, and he also wants to use Sookie's "gift," and then Sookie's mad at him for not feeling anything toward his ex anymore? And she kept dwelling on having killed Debbie all through the book just to have the evidence be buried in the end. I'd like to see Sookie being brought in front of some sort of a werewolf court, but Alcide being stupidly in lust with her as he is, I doubt that will happen. All in all, I'm not a big fan of the wolves. So next time, more fairies and more vampires, please, especially Eric.

Book Review - The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide

Blogger is finally unbanned in Turkey, but it still isn't working. So even though I've written this review last week, I'm finally just able to post it. In the midst of all this commotion, I've also realized that I totally missed the first year anniversary of my blog! It didn't really start taking shape until April, so I guess celebrating next month shall be fine. Now onto the review...

Prepare to enter the dark, passionate world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and get up close and personal with each of the Brothers....

You'll find insider information on the Brotherhood, including their dossiers, stats, and special gifts. you'll read interviews with your favorite characters, including a heartbreaking conversation with Tohrment and Wellsie, conducted three weeks before she was killed by lessers. You'll discover deleted scenes -- accompanied by the whys behind the cuts -- in addition to exciting material from the J.R. Ward message boards and the answers to questions about the series posed by readers. you'll learn what it's like for J.R. Ward to write each installment of the series, and in a fascinating twist, you'll read an interview with the author -- conducted by the Brothers. For the first time ever, you'll see an original novella about Zsadist and Bella, and witness the miracle of their daughter Nalla's birth and experience the depth of their love for each other. Also, you'll receive a sneak peek at the much anticipated next book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Avenged, Rehvenge's story.

This is a compendium no black Dagger Brotherhood fan should miss...and an insider's guide that will seduce you as powerfully as the sexy band of Brothers and the "ferociously popular" world in which they live.

In J.R. Ward's The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide, you really do see the inside of EVERYTHING: from how Ward created the characters to her writing and publishing process and to what the brothers and shellans are up to outside of the books. When I first started the book, I wasn't too sure of what to expect, honestly. All I remembered was my friend Kathy -- she's the one who got me obsessed with the series-- telling me we got to see the Old Language. For one reason or the other, that was the part I was most excited about.

Boy, was I keeping my expectations low! First of all, I absolutely loved hearing about Ward's process. No offense to any of them, but authors tend to not be able to explain HOW they write, and they tend to end up giving vague answers like "I just put what's in my head on paper." Ward does say the same thing as well, but she goes on further: she talks about how she struggled with certain characters and story lines and how shit actually got "hard" at certain points. To me, that makes her real and honest, and I appreciate it.

I'm going out of order here, actually, since the book starts with a story of Zsadist, Bella and Nalla. I must say, Father Mine was absolutely heart-breaking and lovely at the same time. Knowing Zsadist's past, you can imagine him having problems with having a 'young,' but seeing how he evolves and comes in terms with it was amazing.

I think I shouldn't go into every single section, 'cos this could go on forever! So, my other favorite parts were J.R. interviewing the brothers, Kick and Giggles, Slices of Life from the Board. Especially the brothers going on the forums and starting shit up got me laughing out loud and lead to people on the bus staring at me like I'm some sort of freak, but I couldn't care less. I've been head-over-heels in love with Rhage, a.k.a. Hollywood, ever since I've read his book, and that has not changed. Therefore, the shenanigans he started up got me giggling like a school girl. And him and V going at it to get back at one another was just flat out hilarious.

The Insider's Guide came out after the sixth book, Lover Enshrined, which is Phury's book. I didn't read it till after Lover Mine, though, and I don't think it makes that much of a difference except it would be pretty cool to get some insight on Rehv and john Matthew as well, which came after the Guide was published. All in all, if you love the BDB series, you're definitely going to enjoy the extras in this one.

'Blood on Silk' Giveaway at Lovevampires site

Lovevampires.com is one of my favorite sites to visit. It gets quite bittersweet when they run contests though since I cannot enter any of them. I was just having one of those moments, and then I thought why not share it with the people who might be able to enter? They're giving away the book below, and you can enter here-- it's open to US, UK and Canada.

I myself have added it to my wish list and cannot wait to get my hands on it. Sounds rather tasty!

Blood on Silk: An Awakened by Blood Novel (#1) by Marie Treanor

Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk is spending the summer in Romania researching historical superstitions for her PhD. While she is tracing local folktales, one subject in particular sparks her imagination. His name is Saloman, legend's most powerful vampire, a seductive prince staked centuries ago. Now, in the ruins of a castle crypt, Elizabeth discovers the legends are real. Her blood has awakened him. Her innocence has aroused him. But Elizabeth unleashes more than Saloman's hunger.

An army of vampire hunters has amassed to send Saloman back to hell. Sworn to help - yet fearing Saloman's deadly blood lust - Elizabeth seeks to entrap him, offering her body as bait. But something stronger than dread, more powerful than revenge, is uniting Elizabeth to her prey. Caught between desire and rage, Elizabeth must decide where her loyalties lie… and what the limits are to a yearning she can no longer control.

You can read reviews and excerpts from the book at Marie Treanor's website.

Book Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2) by Charlaine Harris
Waiting tables, sweeping floors, reading minds and solving mysteries for the undead. It's all in a day's work for Sookie...

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of real bad luck. First, her co-worker gets murdered and no one seems to care. Then Sookie is attacked - and poisoned - late one night by some weird and apparently mythical beast. She only survives because the local vampires roll up and graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it). But in return the blood-suckers need a favor.

Which is why Sookie ends up in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire, on the condition that her undead friends don't do anything, well, vampiric while she's there. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

Whoa! My friend JuJu was most definitely right when she told me the books get much better after the first. Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and there's a lot going on, for sure. First, Sookie and Bill go off to Dallas on a "mission" because vampires seem to need Sookie's mind-reading power a lot more than I thought they would. And then they have a fight, and Sookie finds herself back home, but, of course, hell just keeps breaking loose, which is definitely something I've enjoyed a great deal.

I must admit, I'm really loving the plot. However, Sookie's annoyance level just keeps increasing. She's the worst kind of insecure girl: the one who thinks she's 'the shit' and then realizes she's not when something doesn't go her way. Her lover, Mister Vampire Bill is even more annoying, really. First, he's way too serious all the time. And when he seems to be breaking loose or if he cracks a joke, I find myself wishing he just wouldn't. Let's move onto the better characters...

ERIC. Just ERIC. I think it has a lot to do with my watching the show first and then continuing with the books. Of course, I'm picturing Alexander Skarsgård through and through and getting way too into the parts that feature Eric. If I were Sookie with Eric being all over me, I'd have dumped Bill way long ago. Anyway... I'm realizing more and more how the show is actually quite a bit different than the book, and I'm enjoying that as well. The details (except for those if Sookie's disgusting outfits and slutty thongs) are definitely much, much better. Especially Eric’s sex-party clothes toward the end of the book are to die for. I could probably go on and on about him, so I’m just going to say he’s overall luscious and leave it at that.

There are two things that really, really bugged me, though. First is the overuse of the word ‘ominous’: well, hellooooo, there are vampires, and these ones can’t go out in the sunlight and sparkle, so anything ‘ominous’ has to be a given. I might be overreacting, but I also think there is more than one word to describe different things. The second thing that really bugged me is Sookie trying to use words from her Word of the Day Calendar in daily conversation. And she actually gets all excited when she uses ‘refute’ while talking to Bill. I thought these two would be one-time things, but I’ve already read two chapters of the third book and sadly saw that ‘ominous’ and Word of the Day words continue.

* * *

Şehir Ölüsü (Güneyli Vampir Romanı 2) - Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse güzel tabii. Ama herkes beyninin peşinde!

Vampirin teki gelip Sookie'den telepatik güçlerini kullanarak bir başka kayıp vampiri bulmasını istediğinde, Sookie bu görevi yerine getirmeyi ancak tek bir şartla kabul ediyor. Kan-emiciler, insanları rahat bırakacaklarına dair kesin söz vermeli!

Barmen kızımız Sookie Stackhouse'un bu aralar şansı pek yaver gitmiyor. Önce iş arkadaşı öldürülüyor ve bu durumu görünürde kimse umursamıyor. Derken, canavar ruhlu bir yaratık tarafından zehirli bir kırbaçla kamçılanıyor. Ve tam o sırada devreye kanından zehri emmek için vampirler giriyor -sanki kan emmek işlerine gelmezmiş de kıyak çekiyorlarmış gibi!

Sookie borçlanıyor tabii. Dolayısıyla bu kan-emicilerden biri ondan iyilik isteyince de geri çeviremiyor. Aradan çok geçmeden soluğu Dallas'ta alan Sookie telepatik güçlerini kullanarak kayıp vampiri bulmaya çalışıyor. Ayrıca bu konuyla alakalı bazı insanlarla da görüşmek zorunda. Yalnız bir şartı var. Vampirler uslu duracaklarına ve bu insanlara zarar vermeyeceklerine söz vermeli. Tabii söylemesi kolay. Vampir tayfasının yoldan çıkması için gereken tek şey leziz bir sarışın ve işlerin katliam boyutu kazanmasına yarayacak minik bir hata…

Sookie Stackhouse'u bir tokatlayıversem daha mutlu insan olabilirim sanırım. Ama JuJu haklıymış, cidden ilk kitaptan sonra olaylar birdenbire hızlanıyor ve daha heyecanlı bir hal almaya başlıyor. İkinci kitap Şehir Ölüsü’nde Sookie ve Bill bir ‘vampir işi’ için Dallas’a gidiyorlar. Bir sürü acayip şey geliyor başlarına tabii. Vampirlerin Sookie’nin düşünce okuma yeteneğine bu kadar ihtiyaç duyacaklarını düşünmezdim hiç ama duyuyorlar işte. Her neyse... Dallas’ta bir kavga ediyorlar ve Sookie kendini evde buluyor. Orda da bitmiyor tabii başlarına gelenler. İyi ki de bitmiyor!

Olaylar şahane ama Sookie hala sinirimi bozuyor. Kendini bir bok zannedip de tek başına kalınca öyle olmadığını anlayan şapşallardan kendisi. Vampir Bill de bir ayrı gıcık. Tam birbirlerini bulmuşlar resmen! Bill ağabeyde de sürekli bir ciddiyet... Kendini saldığı veya espri yapmaya çalıştığı zaman da n’olur yapmasın diye yalvarırken buluyorum kendimi. O yüzden daha iyi karakterlere geçelim...

ERIC. Sadece ERIC. Bütün olay ERIC. İtiraz istemiyorum. Sanırım kitapları okumadan önce diziyi seyretmiş olmam bunda büyük rol oynuyor ama doğal olarak Eric ismini her okuduğumda Alexander Skarsgard geliyor gözümün önüne. Onun olduğu bölümleri okurken bir mest oluyorum, anlatamam. Kitapların diziden daha farklı olması da hoşuma gitti. Sookie’nin iğrenç kıyafetleri ve tangaları dışındaki detaylar çok daha iyi. Özellikle Eric’in kitabın sonuna doğru gittikleri seks partisinde giydiklerine bayıldım. Çok leziz bir adam ya, başka ne diyeyim ki?

Karanlık, vs. anlamlarına gelen ‘ominous,’ kelimesinin gereğinden fazla kullanılması sinirimi en çok bozan iki noktadan biri. Selam Charlaine’ciğim, vampir kitabı yazıyorsun. Ve bu vampirler bazıları gibi günlük güneşlik havada sokağa çıkıp da pırıl pırıl parlamıyorlar. E heralde ‘ominous’ şeyler olacak! Bir diğer sinir nokta da Sookie hanımın ‘Günün Kelimesi Takvimi.’ Bill ağabeye ‘refute’ kelimesini satınca nasıl da seviniyor anlatamam. Yazık. Ezik. Üçüncü kitabın ilk iki bölümünü de bugün okudum ve gördüm ki bu ‘ominous’ ve ‘Günün Kelimesi Takvimi’ olayları devam ediyor. Ne yapalım... Kader.

Book Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed. (Susan Sizemore)

Praise for Charlaine Harris:

Harris writes neatly and with assurance. (New York Times Book Review)

An author of rare talents. (Publishers Weekly)

 

I've read some irritating vampire stories in my time, and I must admit this doesn't even come near them. Except for one thing: Sookie Stackhouse.

This is my second time reading this first book of the series. When I first read it, the show hadn't even come out yet. I decided I did not want to read more because Sookie really irritated me. Second time around, she's still more irritating than ever, but with one of my best friends' assurance that the books get better, I went ahead and already started the second. But to stay on point....

I "kind of" understand how Sookie can be so immature even though she's 25. Because of her "disability, or gift, whatever you want to call it," she hasn't had many experiences. What I don't understand is how she falls in love pretty much right away and feels all confident and on top of the world all of a sudden. She's even kinda snobbish, too. I felt like she looks down on people, and I certainly do not like that. Also, I feel like she LOVED the fact that she was a weirdo right from the beginning, even though she wanted us to think she was feeling bad about it. Maybe it's her desperate need for approval, I'm not sure, but a lot of times I found myself wanting to punch some sense into her face.

The other characters are way more interesting, especially Jason, Eric (!), Lafayette, Arlene and Sam. I really, really like Sam. I hope we get to see lot more of them in the following books-- well, having started the second book, I know we won't see one if them, but I'm not giving away who just in case.

The plot is rather exciting, so I don't have anything negative to say for that. I don't know anything about Louisiana or New Orleans, so I can't comment on that either. I guess my biggest problem with the book is that I feel like I have Sookie's disability, but I can't seem to put up my guard and shut her up. 

* * *

Belki de sevgilinizin bir vampir olması o kadar da şahane bir şey değildir...

'Komik, hızlı tempolu, eğlenceli ve müthiş merak uyandıran bir vampir ve aşk romanı; elinizden bırakamayacaksınız, sakın kaçırmayın.'
-Susan Sizemore

Sookie Stackhouse, Louisina'nın ufak bir kasabasında, kendi halinde bir bar garsonu. Sessiz, sakin, etliye sütlüye karışmaz ve öyle çok sık dışarı çıkmaz. Güzel olmadığından değil. Güzel bir kız. Sadece, Sookie bir çeşit 'beceriksizliğe' sahip. İnsanların zihnini okuyabiliyor. Bu yüzden de erkekler tarafından pek tercih edilmiyor, diyelim. Bir gün Bill ile tanışıyor, uzun boylu, yakışıklı, esmer -üstelik Sookie adamın aklından geçen tek kelimeyi bile duymuyor. Bill, Sookie'nin hayatı boyunca beklediği erkek...

Fakat Bill'in de kendine has bir 'beceriksizliği' var. O bir vampir, hem de kötü şöhretlisinden. Ciddi anlamda tüyleri diken diken eden bir grupla takılıyor ve hepsi de -ne sürprizdir ki- potansiyel katil. Üstüne üstlük, Sookie'nin iş arkadaşlarından biri öldürülünce, Sookie sıranın kendisinde olduğunu düşünmeye başlıyor.

'Charlaine Harris temiz ve okuru ikna ederek yazıyor.'
-The New York Times Kitap Eki

'Nadir rastlanan yeteneklere sahip bir yazar.'
-Publishers Weekly

 

Sookie niye bu kadar gıcık olmak zorunda ki?

Bu kitabı ikinci okuyuşum. İlk seferinde şans eseri alıp okumuştum. Remzi Kitabevi'nde İngilizce vampir romanı görünce direk üstüne atlamıştım açıkçası. Okuduktan sonra da direk sallamıştım çünkü hem anlatıcı hem de ana kahraman olan Sookie'ye sinir olmuştum. Bir arkadaşımın kendinden emin ısrarlarıyla tekrar başladım seriyi okumaya ama bakalım sonu nasıl gelecek...

Sookie 25 yaşında olmasına rağmen hiç de o kadar olgunlaşamamış. Tamam, 'özürü' yüzünden pek birşey yaşayamamış olmasına bağlayabiliyorum bunu ama o zaman Bill'le tanışır tanışmaz patlayan kendine güven, kendini beğenmişlik nerden geliyor? Birden herkese tepeden bakmaya başlamalar, 'o ne anlar ki?' tarzı tavırlar... Vallahi sevmedim hiç. Özürü konusunda kötü hissediyormuş gibiydi kitabın başında, Vampir Bill'le tanışmadan önce. Ama sonradan farkediyor ki insan yokmuş öyle birşey, bizi kandırıyormuş resmen! Belki de sürekli başkaları tarafından onaylanmaya aç olduğunu hissettiğim içindir, bilmiyorum, ama çoğu zaman suratına tokatı yapıştırmak istiyorum.

Jason, Eric, Lafayette, Arlene ve Sam gibi karakterler daha ilginç. Sam'e daha bir bayılıyorum sanki hatta. Bunlardan birini ikinci kitapta göremeyeceğiz (bakın spoiler vermiyorum) ama umarım diğerleri hem daha çok hem de daha ayrıntılı bir şekilde karşımıza çıkıyordur.

Olaylar bayağı akıcı ve merak uyandırıyor. Bu yüzden onlara diyecek bir lafım yok. Kitapla ilgili en büyük sorunum, okurken Sookie'nin özürüne sahipmişim gibi hissetmem. Yalnız ne yazık ki ben, kitapları okumaya devam etmek istedğim için, onun gibi kalkanımı kaldırıp sesini kesmesini sağlayamıyorum.

Hurry up, J.R. Ward!

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood #9) by J.R. Ward to be released on March 29, 2011

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them? 

If you haven't read this series yet, the description above will make no sense. But if you have, you can go ahead and start squeeing like I have. 

Why am I getting nuts over a book that doesn't even have a cover? Am I crazy? A little bit, but that's not the point. All the BDB books up to now have belonged to a male warrior. Payne is the first female to get her own book, and this time we're up for a female vampire - male human romance.

Exciting, no? March 29th feels so so so far away right now, but I'm hoping it'll get here in the blink of an eye.

For more information about the Black Dagger Brothood Series, click here.

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Eğer Black Dagger Brotherhood serisinin kitaplarını okumadıysanız, yukarıdaki ürün özelliklerinden hiçbirşey anlamamanız normal birşey. Fakat okuduysanız siz de benim gibi kendinizi kaybederek sevinebilirsiniz.

Peki neden kapağı bile olmayan bir kitap için böyle heyecanlanıyorum? Delirdim mi? Delilik her zaman var biraz ancak konumuz o değil. Şimdiye kadar BDB kitaplarının her biri bir erkek savaşçının hikayesiydi. Payne hikayesi anlatılan ilk kız ve bu sefer vampir kız - insan erkek aşkını okuyacağız.

Heyecanlı değil mi? 29 Mart şu anda çok çok çooooook uzak görünüyor ama umarım göz açıp kapayıncaya kadar burada olur.

Black Dagger Brotherhood serisi hakkında daha fazla bilgi için buraya tıklayın.

Book Review: At Grave's End (Night Huntress, #3) by Jeaniene Frost

At Grave's End (Night Huntress, #3)
by Jeaniene Frost

Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

No matter how much anything bugged me about these series (number one being the main character, Cat), I could always fall back on Bones (Cat's vampire boyfriend) to save the day. Their interactions even had those "aww!" moments for me at times, but not in this third book.

Cat seems to only grow in age and nothing else. She's still the stubborn girl with the I-kick-ass-look-how-awesome-I-am attitude. And her being the narrator leads to a lot of repetitions: we know where you hide your silver knives, we know your shoes have silver heels, we know nobody would think of it, we know you love Bones. Most of the time she seems like she thinks things through and comes up with a bright idea, but she doesn't, really. I still don't understand why she's out on the field when the entire vampire population--especially the ones who wants her and Bones dead-- know who she is and CAN tell who she is even when she's in disguise. Also, I got very tired of Bones having to feed her his blood every single time they find themselves in a fight-- if she's such an awesome fighter, why's she almost dying that often?

Her mother was the most fun character in this book. Tate is getting boring with her obsession with Cat and his blind royalty to her. Mencheres is pretty cool. But the rest of the characters are barely there. Oh, have I mentioned Dracula shows up and fights on their side? Sorry for the spoiler, but I also am not sorry since it's not going to spoil anything for you, really.

The next book in this series is "Destined for an Early Grave." Judging by the reviews I've read so far, it's the best book in the series. Hope it doesn't disappoint.

Book Review: Vampire Academy (VA #1) by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
by Richelle Mead

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . . Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

I was very excited when I finally got my hands on this book. I've been hearing a lot of positive reviews about the series, and I wanted badly to start reading them. The one downside to that has been the fact that I apparently had very high expectations-- I was pretty much waiting to be blown away. Well, that didn't happen. I liked the book, and it's a quick, fun read, but it didn't live up to the hype.

Richelle Mead's vampire world is easy to get into and relate to. We have the Moroi, who are the good, "living" vampires, and then we have the Strigoi, who are the evil, "dead" vampires. Then, there are the dharmirs, who are the children of Moroi fathers and human mothers, and they become guardians to the Moroi. Our narrator, Rose, is a dharmir. And she's the guardian-to-be and best friend of Lissa, who's a Moroi princess.

For me, what kept me reading was the relationship between these two girls. Theirs is a very strong one, made even stronger by the bond that they share. Rose will risk her life to save Lissa's, and Lissa cares as much about her as well. Protecting Lissa is the reason why Rose ran away from The Academy and took her with her. But, of course, they find themselves back there and deal with the rumors and everything together, as well as other, rather intense, situations. Lissa is calmer and somewhat nicer. Rose tends to lash out on people when she's pissed, and she's a well-known trouble maker.

Both their back stories and current stories seemed to drag for me. And they seemed a bit too repetitive. There were many examples of Lissa using compulsion (which is considered "magic" in Mead's world) as if saying, "you got it?" And you pretty much get it the first time. The mysteries about her magical powers are quiet easily guessed, and the only "whoa!" moments came within the last 50-or-so pages. The fact that the Moroi deal with magic and specialize on elements was a rather interesting event, but I didn't get to find out about it as much as I'd like to. We find out Christian specializes in fire, and toward the end we find out Victor and his daughter Natalie specialize in earth, but I think that's pretty much it.

For me, the most interesting characters were Christian and Dimitri. Christian is a Moroi invisible to others because his parents turned Strigoi by choice. And Dimitri is a guardian at The Academy who's in charge of training Rose. I'm not going to talk about what happens with them because I don't want to give any big spoilers, but I would definitely like to read more about them.

There were also some things that flat out bugged me about Mead's vampire world. The school environment felt a bit Gossip-Girl-goes-vampire, but then there were times when I nearly forgot I was reading a vampire story. I also never thought there would be a church at a vampire school, let alone most of the students' being Eastern Orthodox Christians. Church-going, god-fearing vampires just feels wrong. And I didn't like that fact that when someone lets a vampire bite them during sex, it's considered "dirty," and they're accused of being blood whores. Oh, and, there were way too many typos in the book.

I think my Vampire Academy adventure pretty much ends here. I'll probably check out the rest of the books if I can, but I'm in no rush. I do want to check out her adult series though. I feel like they'd be more up my alley.

Book Review: Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

Lover Mine by J.R. Ward
(Black Dagger Brotherhood Series #8)

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.

Two words: JOHN MATTHEW.

We'd met him in Lover Eternal, the second book of the series, when he was a tiny, mute kid living on his own in a destroyed apartment building, carrying a big secret. Now, though, he's become a strong, powerful vampire fighting with the Blind King and the Brotherhood. Oh, and, he's in love.


What I love about this series is that in each book we get to know more and more about particular characters while we meet new ones, new mysteries build up while the older ones resolve. Even though they're all written in the third person, Ward switches points of view in such a crafty way that we usually get to live the important parts of events twice, each more exciting than the other. The way she lays out the chapters and the sequence of events makes you whoosh through a chapter and keep going just so you can find out what's going to happen next.


Most of the time, when I was reading about the lessers (the Brotherhood's enemies), I used to try to read quickly so I could get back to the vampires. Since Lash joined them, though, even they've gotten a lot more exciting. Especially in this book, Lash has so much to do with everything that instead of thinking "Die already," I found myself think, "Oh, they're so coming to getcha!" And he's even fun at certain points, which doesn't make him any less evil, but impossible to ignore and even enjoy.


I liked the way Xhex and John's romance worked out: she's a powerful, kinda manly-featured assassin who is used to taking care of herself and not letting anyone in. He's been in love with her ever since the first time he saw her, but he also knows who she is and doesn't expect anything from her. That's doesn't mean, of course, that he doesn't find her and save her and revenge her and give her what she wants. And it's a good thing he does because that's how she realizes that she, too, is in love with him. Most of the hard times they went through in the past bring them together, as well as other surprising things that I'm not going to get into here.


As much as I love John Matthew and loved seeing the world through his eyes, another super-exciting part of the book for me was the relationship between Qhuinn and Blay: it's as if they started cracking and soon there will be a big explosion, which I cannot wait for. I hear Ward's discussing with her editors whether or not they should get their own book or just a novella, and I honestly think they deserve their own book: whoever has a problem with gay characters should feel free to not read it.


Having said that, though, it does look like the next one will be Payne's--The Scribe Virgin's daughter-- book. Up to now it's been the brothers, and not it's going to be a female related to the Brotherhood. It might reveal more about The Scribe Virgin and what she had been up to (no good!), but I'm afraid we're gonna lose John Matthew, whom I'm used to being around. Hopefully J.R. Ward's dedication at the beginning of the book will keep its promise:


I cannot believe you and I have come so far.
Your book is not a goodbye, however--
just another beginning.
But you're used to that...

On My Wishlist (#1)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. 

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My friend Kathy had mailed me the first book of the Savannah Vampires series (Vampire's Seduction) in about January, and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, though, I haven't gotten around to purchasing the rest of the books yet. I haven't been able to find them at bookstores here in Istanbul, so I'm going to have to order them online soon.

For those of you who might be interested in more information about the books, here's the author's website.

Book #17 of 2010 - One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost Review

One Foot in the Grave By Jeaniene Frost
Published in 2008 by Avon
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.

In the first book of the series, Halfway to the Grave, the protagonist Cat Crawfield, who also is the narrator, had annoyed me. It was alright, though, since she was young and shy and finding out more about vampires as well as herself. One Foot in the Grave picks up four years after where the first book ends, and she seems to be more immature, and her arrogance and the "I'm the shit" attitude just makes it worse. She's tougher and bitchier, and she seems to be an alcoholic-- I don't know if this is going to come up in the following books or not, but half-vampire or not, she's downing way too many gin and tonics whenever she feels stressed or nervous or wants to get out of a certain situation but can't. I couldn't help thinking that if the books were written in the third person, maybe she wouldn't have bugged me so much. Too late for that now anyway.

In general, the writing is wittier and there's much more action. I don't have a problem with fast-paced story lines, I rather enjoy them even, but most of the scenes in this book felt like they needed more build up and tension-- it gets rather exhausting and confusing when she's one place now and another place two seconds later.

I agree with most of the other reviewers that the love scene with her and Bones toward the end of the book is to die for. Honestly, if Bones wasn't as charming and sexy as he is, I probably would've given up on these books (well, the other reason I can't is because I already purchased books 3 and 4, and I also can't help getting curious). It just sucks to see that Cat's immaturity and not thinking things through clearly lead to messed up situations, and Bones has to save the day. I felt bad for the guy most of the time. I don't like it when people are driven so much by their anger and thirst for revenge because of what's been done to them or what they have to live with that they can't see clearly. Cat's just like that, but she also LIKES what she is, so I don't understand how her bitching and attitude are justified.

Tek Ayağı Mezarda, Yazar: Jeaniene Frost

Yayımlandığı yıl: 2008
KEDİCİĞİN HAYRANI OLACAKSINIZ! MEZARDAN KAÇABİLİRSİN FAKAT SAKLANAMAZSIN! ATEŞLE Mİ OYNUYORSUN, KEDİCİK? Yarı vampir Kedicik, FBl'ın gizli bir biriminde özel dedektif. Tehlikeli ölümsüzlerin kökünü kurutmak için devletin emrinde çalışıyor. Halen, seksi ve tehlikeli eski sevgilisi Bones'tan öğrendikleriyle hayatına devam ediyor ancak ya biri genç kadını öldürmeyi kafasına koyduysa? Dahası Kediciğe yani Cat'e yardım edebilecek tek güç, maziye gömmeye çalıştığı ancak kalbinden bir türlü atamadığı eski aşkı Bones!

Gece Avcısı serisinin ilk kitabı Mezarla Randevu'da ana karakter Cat sinirimi bozmuştu ve hikayenin onun ağzından anlatılması da durumu daha da kötüleştirmişti. İlk kitapta Cat daha gençti utangaçtı ve vampirler ve kendisi hakkında yeni şeyler öğreniyordu. Bu yüzden saçma sapan tavırları fazla batmıyordu ancak ikinci kitapta da kendisi "ben şahaneyim, kimse bana dokunamaz" tavırlarıyla oldukça gıcık. Ayrıca alkolik olduğundan şüpheleniyorum çünkü ne zaman hoşuna gitmeyen bir durum olsa hemen gin & tonic'ine sarılıyor. Eğer kitaplar üçüncü tekil şahıs ağzından yazılmış olsaydı daha iyi olurdu diye düşünüyorum ama artık çok geç tabii ki.

Genel olarak bu kitap daha nükteli ve aksiyon doluydu. Çabuk ilerleyen hikayeler normalde hoşuma gidiyor ama bu kitapta ortalık karıştı biraz: bir an bir yerde iki saniye sonra başka yerdeler; arada ne oldu ne bitti belli değil.

Kitabın sonlarına doğru Cat ve Bones arasındaki aşk sahnesini herkes çok beğenmiş; ben de katılıyorum onlara. Zaten Bones bu kadar sevilebilir ve hayran olunabilir bir karakter olmasaydı kitapları okumayı bırakırdım sanırım. Yalnız onu Cat'in saçmalıklarını temizlemeye çalışırken görmek insanı üzüyor cidden.

Book #16 of 2010

Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel #6) by J.R. Ward
Published 2008/534 pages

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood’s bloodlines alive.  As Primale of the Chosen, he is obligated to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that traditions of the race survive, and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself.  She is drawn to the noble responsibility behind the emotionally scarred male.  But Phury has never allowed himself to know pleasure or joy.  As the war with Lessening Society grows grim, tragedy looms over the Brotherhood’s mansion, and Phury must decide between duty and love….

I don't even know where to start with this one-- I guess I should start by saying that all of you paranormal romance fans should definitely read these books and start from the first one, Dark Lover. I'd given it to my sister who finished it a few days ago, and her comment was "I think I'm gonna fall in love with all of [the brothers] as I read the books." I have to second her on that one because that's just how it works.

Lover Enshrined, unlike the first five books of BDB, especially Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened, wasn't that big of a romance novel. This sounds negative, but it's not, really, because there was so much more going on.

Phury, unlike the other warrior brothers, puts himself before others first. Having saved his twin Zsadist from slavery after searching for him for an eternity and losing his lower leg in the process, he has his own demons and turns to drugs to ease the pain. As he turns to drugs more and more often, he also steps up to the role of the Primale so his brother Vishous can be with his shellan, which means he's expected to mate with the Chosen-- except he falls for Cormia, the first mate, and doesn't go through with the whole Primale thing. It was rather amazing to see what was going on inside his head, and I very much enjoyed reading him connecting with Zsadist finally.

Apart from Phury, finding out more about the Chosen and the "other side" was rather exciting for me as well. The more I found out about it, the more hated it though because it reminded me of my strict, annoying high school. I was glad in the end when Phury talked to the Scribe Virgin and brought them out of there. I especially enjoyed the last chapter where we get a glimpse of the Chosen's daily activities living all together at Rehvenge's property.

Rehvenge... The next book (and I'm STILL waiting for it to show up at my door) is his. I'm not sure how I feel about him. He's always seemed cool, and I like his sense of humor and everything, but I don't know how exactly I feel about sympaths. I guess I just don't get their whole deal yet. Hopefully Rehv's book will clear that up a little bit.

Like I've said, there's so much going on in this book. My favorite parts were definitely the ones about warrior-to-bes John Matthew, Qhuinn and Blaylock. And I'm very very excited about John Matthew's book, Lover Mine, showing up at my door with Rehvenge's.

I genuinely do think J.R. Ward just keeps getting better and better. Yes, the romances are to die for. But that's not the one main focus of the books, which I think is one of the reasons why they're so addictive. I'm so looking forward to more exciting plots now that Thorment is back and Lash (hate him!) is playing for the enemy's team.

The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove

Summary (author’s description)

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. It is.
Soon she starts receiving threatening messages from an unknown enemy. She's also beginning to suspect that the pale elegant headmistress and her gorgeous sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the sunny, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the dark, quirky older brother, who constantly puzzles her.
The longer she stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and the headmistress and her family.
What will she give up and what risks will she take to stay in this privileged world and be bound to Birch Grove forever? What's Jane willing to sacrifice for this once in a lifetime opportunity?

Just saw this in my e-mail, in the newest newsletter from the Love Vampires Website. Reading anything more than 2000 words on my computer screen makes my eyes bleed, but I did go ahead and downloaded the *.pdf version of the book that they offer. You can download it here.

Lover Mine

I'm currently reading the sixth book (Lover Enshrined) in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I've already ordered the seventh and eighth books. The eighth book, Lover Mine, was recently released on April 27th.

I was searching for something completely different when I came across a video of J.R. Ward talking about the book on Penguin's YouTube channel. Now, since I have to read two more books before I can get to that one, I tried not to watch it, but I failed miserably. The spoilers aren't too bad, and I'm excited about the fact that she says she doesn't really see the series ending because there are so many possibilities.

She makes another good point about Lover Mine: we really did follow John Matthew through so many books, still are (well, I am due to where I am in the series) witnessing his physical and emotional development. I'm very excited to finally read all about him.

Book #15 of 2010

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Is Vishous an interesting character? Yes-- he's a tech-savvy, bisexual warrior vampire who's into BDSM and can heal or electrocute humans/vampires with his magic glowing hand. Since the beginning of the series, I've thought he was pretty cool and especially enjoyed reading his interactions with Butch. In this book, however, I wasn't as curious about him as I'd expected I would be because there was so much more going on. The biggest shocker about him is the fact that we (and he himself, too) find out The Scribe Virgin is his birth mother. His back story with his father, Bloodletter, was rather interesting as well, but, like I've said, failed to be the center of my attention because there was so much more going on.

• Phury loses his virginity after a forever-long celibacy. He's still hung up on Bella, which makes me rather sad to read about because she's his twin's shellan. Because of all this, he takes Vishous's place as the Primale, which I have mixed feelings about, yet I cannot wait to read about him and The Chosen, Cormia, in the next book.
• John Matthew was the most interesting part of the book. He finally went through his transaction and is a warrior-sized vampire, who uses the daggers with his left hand like Darius used to. I remember Darius making a request to the Scribe Virgin in the first book, so I have my suspicions about this, but I'll just wait and see instead of dwelling too much on it.
• Lash is a whole different story. I felt like something was up with him, too, and I'm hoping I'm right and that I'll find out what it is in the following books.
• Jane, the female Vishous falls in love with, was alright. The way she comes back after she's killed by a lesser feels kinda funny to me, though. I'm not too crazy about the whole "Jane, the Friendly Ghost" kinda deal. 
• The lessers weren't around as much in this book, so I'm expecting them to make a strong comeback.

More vampires translated to Turkish.

I've actually found out about this a few weeks ago, yet I kept forgetting to blog about it. The first two books in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Novels series have been translated to Turkish. I got the chance to look inside them, and the translations are as good as they get. I feel bad that the ones who read them in Turkish won't get to know Bones's overly-done British accent, though.

Jeaniene Frost'un Gece Avcısı Romanları serisinin ilk iki kitabı Türkçe'ye çevrilmiş. Kitapçıdayken şöyle bir baktım içlerine çeviriler fena gözükmüyor. Yalnız Bones'un (ana karakter olan vampir) abartılmış İngiliz aksanını "duyamayacaklar" için üzülüyorum gerçekten.

Idefix'in alıntı tanıtım yazıları:

• Tek Ayağı Mezarda için tıklayın.
• Mezarla Randevu için tıklayın.

Merak edenler için de yazarın kendi websayfası jeanienefrost.com

Bad, BAD Zim!

I've gone and bought books AGAIN. After paying off credit card, it's seriously the first thing I do as soon as I get paid. At least, this time, I didn't go overboard like I did last month. So, these are what I'll be expecting in the mail this month:

Lover Avenged (#7) and Lover Mine (#8) are the only books of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series that I don't have. I'm on book 5 right now (Lover Unbound), and I'm pretty sure I'll be done with that and book 6 by the time these arrive.

I'm also rather excited about Hush, Hush since everyone I know kept saying I'll love it. I wish I could have a week or two all to myself to just read. Dream on, no?

P.S. I've just realized I lied. I don't have The Black Dagger Brotherhood Insider's Guide either, but my friend Kathy --who got me obsessed with the series by sending me the first book-- said she'll get it for me, so I'm good.

Book #14 of 2010

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead but found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him...

All I'm going to say about this one is that it seemed to drag for too long. Maybe it's because Butch was always a character I didn't really care about. Sure, he's fun, but I could do without having to read his story. Anyway... Still, bonus points for some great Rhage moments.

Book #13 of 2010

Even within the vampire brotherhood, Zsadist is feared. Still bearing the scars from a tortured past, he is renowned for his unquenchable fury. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society. 

***SPOILER ALERT***
This one brought me to tears at least three times. In the first two books, whenever I read about Zsadist, I had a "what the hell is his problem?!" kind of attitude toward him. You know he was a slave and all and probably went through hell, but you still don't understand why he's so cold and very killer-like all the time.

In Love Awakened, though, you get the whole story behind this "tortured hero," which instantly makes you feel for him. Although I wanted to strangle him when he kept denying love and happiness to himself, I did understand the reasons why.

As torture-filled as they may be, I enjoyed reading about Zsadist's past, and what his twin had to go through to free him. This also lead to my sobbing hard when Phury shaved his hair off and scarring his face to go meet the lesser in his twin's place, and their bonding at Haver's when Zsadist hugged him.

Time for a few bullet points:

• Zsadist eating with Rhage to gain weight = *melt*
• I'm still very curious about why Vishous made Butch drink his blood, and I'm hoping it will be revealed in the next book.
• John Matthew is such a cute character. I was so sad when both Wilsie and Sarelle were killed by the lesser and Tohr disappeared.

That's all I can think of right now, but whoever said these books keep getting better is damn right. And no, I'm not sick of their listening rap music and walking around in shit kickers all the time. 

Onto book four...

Phew!

I took my external hard drive to the shop today because even though it turned on, it wouldn't show up on my computer. The guys at the store pronounced it dead and said they would give me a new one 'cos there's still time on the warranty. I said I didn't want it. I don't care about anything else in it, but all my writing and interviews were in it, and I really didn't want to lose them-- why I was stupid enough to let an external drive store them, I don't know. Anyway... My amazing friend Barkin saved it! He took it out of its box and hooked it up to his desktop computer, and now it's safe and sound in there. PHEW.

* * *

On a different note, I'd really like to say that this woman knows what she's talking about. I'd started the 3rd book of The Black Dagger Brotherhood series yesterday, and I'm almost done with it. Looks like I'm going through this box set pretty fast and will need the rest of the books very soon.